Avengers 3
by emoprincess37
Summary: Loki has been kidnapped by Chitauri and is being tortured for information about the Tesseract. Also the Avengers are trying to recuperate after the injuries they suffered during the battle in D.C. Elani wants to get Loki back ASAP but does SHIELD really care enough about their newest member to retrieve him from the alien race or will Elani have to get him herself?
1. Prologue

Prologue

"My Lord, we have brought him." The Other bowed before his lord, his leader, his master.

Thanos turned around, smiling.

"Good." His voice dripped venom, insanity.

The Other shivered as he always did when the fear hit him; the fear of his lord.

"Get whatever information you can out of him; by whatever means necessary." Thanos continued, smiling out into space.

The Other bowed and left the presence of his master. He smirked, glad of the task set before him. Nothing would bring him more pleasure than to bring pain to the God of Mischief. He licked his lips in sweet anticipation. Silver Tongue would be reduced to a dribbling mess before the Other was done with him. He laughed at loud at the thought of all the fun he was going to have. He rubbed his hands together in glee before disappearing from sight.


	2. Chapter 1: 3 Months after Washington

Chapter 1: 3 Months after Washington

Agent Clint Barton sat in the medical ward of the New York City S.H.I.E.L.D base. He sat staring at his fiancée Natasha Romanoff who lay in a bed in the ward. She was in a medically induced coma, and had been for the last three months. The injuries she had sustained in the battle against the Chitauri in Washington had been great.

Not only did she suffer from internal bleeding and head trauma, but a Chitauri had bitten her and infected her arm with his acid-poison saliva. They had spent the last three months slowly reconstructing the arm that had been eaten away at. The surgeries were supposed to be finished within the next few days, and they would bring her out of the coma after that.

He took her hand and brushed his thumb across her knuckles. She looked pale, and sick. Her hair had lost its dark red shine. He thought he had cried all the tears he had to shed for her. The doctors had said she would be just fine, that nothing had happened that their advanced medical team couldn't fix. But Clint knew they were wrong. He had seen the fear in her eyes, that scared little girl after she had been bitten. When she woke up she'd have to work on putting that little girl back in her cage.

Clint leaned back, rubbing his tired eyes. He hadn't slept in so long, afraid. Afraid she might wake up anyway, before the doctors had planned. He sighed and shook his head. He dragged his feet to the couch in the room and laid down on it. He punched the pillow, trying to get it to soften. Finally he gave up and turned over, facing away from the door. If anyone came in at that moment, they wouldn't have seen Clint Barton's tears, just the shaking of his body.

~O~

"Tony what are you doing with that?"

Pepper rubbed her small protruding belly and stared pointedly at Tony. He was holding a box of crib parts and was trying to put it down near the window in the baby's room.

"What?"

"That goes over here." She pointed to the opposite side of the room and he rolled his eyes.

Pepper sighed; it had been three months since she had gotten a call from Fury saying Tony had been injured. He seemed fine now and all the doctors said he had recovered marvelously. There were days when he was slow however. It took him a while to think of what he wanted to say, or he lost a train of thought. It had been happening less and less lately though so Pepper kept putting off calling the doctor about it.

"Pepper, can we put this off for today? I'm feeling a little tired." Tony put the box down where she had indicated and rubbed his eyes.

"Of course sweetie; I'll finish moving the boxes it's fine."

"No Pepper, you go shopping or something, get more stuff that we need. I told you I'd do all the lifting."

Pepper looked at Tony for a minute before shrugging her shoulders.

"I did see a painting that would look just lovely in one of the guest rooms."

"Alright; I'll see you later?" Tony asked, yawning.

"Yeah."

Pepper rested a hand on his chest while she kissed him goodbye. Tony smiled as Pepper walked out the door. A few minutes later JARVIS spoke:

"Sir, she's gone."

Tony walked out of the room and stealthily checked around.

"Sir, she's pulling out right now."

"Thanks JARVIS."

Tony walked down the hall and lifted a secret panel in the wall, revealing a work space where he could work in quiet. Right now he was working on a secret project and he didn't want anyone to know about it, not even Pepper.

~O~

"Here, these are for you."

Steve produced a bouquet of flowers from behind his back and handed them to Maria. He had dragged her away to a darkened part of the hallway so her co-workers didn't have to see. He knew how she wanted to keep a professional demeanor in front of everyone, and also that she wanted their relationship to remain a secret.

"Oh, they're beautiful."

She leaned in and kissed him on the mouth. Steve kissed her back, enjoying her kisses. He had become more comfortable being in a relationship ever since he had been dating her. They had been together for the past three months, trying to find little moments where they could be alone together. It hadn't been easy but Steve would do it for her.

"I have to go put these in my room and then get back to my job."

"OK. I'll see you tonight?"

"If nothing else happens."

They had planned a movie date in Maria's room that night. He kissed her one more time before she walked away to her room. He had a huge grin plastered on his face when he bumped into Elani.

He still felt bad for her every time he saw her. Thor had told them all that the Chitauri had controlled him and her face had been smashed by Mjolnir. She was healing exceptionally well for having been hit with the hammer, but he still was sad for her. She had been so beautiful.

Elani smiled sadly; he forgot that she could read his range of emotions and if she felt like it, see into his mind. She said she always refrained from doing so but that when he thought something she was drawn to it. She had told him it was because he felt that emotion resolutely with every fiber of his being. He wasn't half sad and half happy. He was all sad and when she was near him she couldn't help but to be sucked into his head.

They had been spending more time with each other getting to know one another; Steve had been telling her about WWII and his experiences and that had been helping their connection. She enjoyed hearing about his Midgardian history; she said it was more interesting than the others.

"I know it's terrible and I'm sorry." She said.

"No, you shouldn't have to apologize! I was being rude, I'm sorry."

"Its fine Steve…I know it's awful."

Steve reached out and put a hand on her arm. She definitely had it hard.

"Did you want to talk today, about anything?" She asked politely.

"I wouldn't mind. I've…been having dreams about something that happened and would love to get it off my mind."

"Come on, we'll go to my room." She gave him a small smile and led him to her room where they talked about his best friends death.

~O~

Bruce rubbed his eyes, tired. Fury had set him up in a lab at S.H.I.E.L.D. so he could be close to him if he came close to a breakthrough. He preferred the neatness of Stark's lab; he especially enjoyed working with Tony. They could bounce ideas off each other and usually got work done faster. However Tony was busy with his company and the baby coming, so he had given Bruce paid time off to work with Fury on their project.

Fury had him looking at Chitauri weapons and armor they had discovered from the DC site, trying to find a way to use the technology they had, or to somehow harness the energy.

Bruce still remembered looking at the screens and seeing the fight his friends had gotten into. Fury had ordered him to stay behind so that more destruction wasn't caused to the downtown area. Bruce sat down at his desk and started going over the reports again. He wanted to get over with this work and be done, but he also had to go through it thoroughly. He rubbed his eyes again; he looked down at the lab reports but they were blurring together. He sighed; it was time to call it a night.

Setting down the folder he put everything in the lab away and locked the door. He walked to his room and collapsed into bed right after taking off his shoes and shirt. He desperately needed sleep if he was going to be of any use to anyone.

~O~

Elani said goodbye to Steve as he walked down the hall to his room. She saw Thor walking towards her and waved at him. He waved back, frowning. He looked exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days. They had been staying up late into the morning talking about Loki and where the Chitauri might be keeping him. Unfortunately they didn't know enough about the alien race to speculate.

"Come in."

Thor walked into her room and immediately started talking about some information he had received from a dwarf about the Chitauri living on an outer planet.

"It's a good start Thor."

"Are you not pleased?" he asked.

"No, I am, I'm just tired." She said, fiddling with her engagement ring.

Thor's features softened and his shoulders drooped.

"I miss him too."

She nodded her head and fought back tears. They were the only two on the team who really cared about, and missed Loki. As far as she knew they were the only ones trying to find him.

Thor opened his arms to her and she sank into them, her tears freely flowing. He was crying too and they stayed like that for awhile, wallowing together in their grief. Eventually however Elani pulled away.

"We have to sleep too Thor. We'll talk tomorrow. Maybe we'll figure something else out, or you'll have more information to share."

He nodded his head lazily.

"How long has it been since you slept?"

"A few days…I've been waiting for the dwarf's contact."

"Oh Thor…"

"He's worth it. Anything that can bring Loki back to us is worth losing some sleep."

"I agree; but go to bed now."

"Yes, I will."

She kissed his cheek and ushered him out of her room and down the hall to his. She sighed and changed into soft pajamas before sitting down and applying a cool healing balm to her face. It was still strange, even three months later, to feel the bumped and marred texture of her face. She fought back the new tears; no she would not cry for herself.

She crawled into bed and clutched at the sheets where Loki usually lay next to her. She buried her face in the pillow and did cry; cry for her beloved and whatever horrors he was experiencing while they searched for him.

~O~

"Sir?"

Maria walked up to Fury, who sitting at his desk, was slumped over.

"Agent Hill. " Was all he said before picking the files back up and returning to work.

"Sir, is there a way to keep them from the Tesseract?"

"We're going to find it."

Maria nodded her head, still unsure. Fury sighed;

"We'll have to put everyone on high alert Agent. I mean everyone; I don't care where they're located. If we have to fly in someone from Istanbul we'll do it."

"Yes Sir."

"We have to keep them from the Tesseract; that is our priority."

"Sir…?"

"Yes Agent Hill?"

Maria took a deep breath before beginning.

"Sir, what about Loki?"

"What about him?"

"We aren't, mounting a rescue mission?"

Fury sighed.

"If it is brought to my attention that we have the information and resources to get him, we will. I have agents working on finding out where he is but…it's a long shot."

Maria turned to walk away.

"Agent Hill?" Fury called after her.

"Yes?"

"Do not tell the others any of this, understand?"

"Yes Sir."

She walked away before he could say anything else.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Natasha started groaning and shaking her head. She felt…fuzzy. She heard some rustling and something falling over; immediately her eyes opened her body on high alert. A familiar hand touched hers and she relaxed slightly. Clint's face came into view.

"Natasha, oh you're awake!" His face went away and she heard his hitched breathing.

"Cli-nt…wha-?"

"Oh the doctor said your throat would be dry and that you shouldn't speak. Here, let me get you some water."

Natasha was confused; Clint was overreacting. She had only been asleep for a couple of days at the most. Tears sprinkled in his eyes as helped her drink a few sips of water. He sat down next to her and took her hand again.

"Oh Tasha, I didn't think you'd wake up."

She raised her eyebrow, demanding an explanation.

"Tasha, I think…I think you should hear it from the doctor."

"The patient is awake?"

A man in a white-coat with blonde hair and a goatee walked into the room.

"Hello Clint." He said, shaking his hand.

"Hello Dr. Soot."

"Natasha, how are you feeling?"

Natasha just stared at him, suddenly confused and worried.

"I didn't explain anything. I thought it best if you did." Clint explained.

"Of course." Dr. Soot said.

The Dr. leaned over and flashed a light in Natasha's eyes. He checked all of her vitals before sitting down.

"Natasha, you've been in a medically-induced coma for the past three months. Do you know what that means?"

Natasha nodded her head.

"You were seriously hurt in your fight, and we had to reconstruct your right arm. It took a lot of surgeries, but its back to normal now. You'll be released from the hospital in a few days and after that you'll start physical therapy to get your strength and coordination back. OK?"

Natasha nodded her head again; she didn't trust herself to speak.

"I'll tell someone to bring you more water and some jello, OK?"

The Dr. left the room. Clint sat in the now vacant chair and looked at Natasha.

"Are you OK?" He asked.

"I don-t kn-ow." Her speech was coming easier to her now but still it was difficult to talk.

Clint helped her take another drink of water.

"Natasha, there's something I want to ask you."

"OK."

Clint took her hawk necklace out of his pocket.

"I've had this since D.C., when you dropped it. They wouldn't even let me ride in the ambulance with you." He said with a whisper.

"I want to get married Tasha. I don't want to wait anymore. You think if we were in a real hospital I'd be allowed in to see you? To make decisions for you?" Clint shook his head. "I don't want anything like this to happen again. I want you to marry me, for real. I don't want to put off being with you anymore." He finished with a whisper.

Natasha thought about how hard it must have been for him to sit here, for the past three months, and to see her lying in a hospital bed. How long had he had to think about this?

"Yes Clint."

"Oh Tasha."

He slipped the hawk necklace back around her and kissed her forehead. She smiled; Clint got up when a nurse came in. She handed him Natasha's jello and left.

"Here, it's cherry. Your favorite."

Clint spoon fed her the jello, a big smile on his face.

~O~

Elani got up out of bed; she had plans for today. She again applied the healing balm to the left side of her face. She thought it was starting to look better, but she couldn't be sure. She grabbed clothes randomly out of her closet and ran her fingers through her hair, running out the door.

"OK, deep breath."

Elani rang the doorbell to Stark Tower.

"Sir, there's someone here for you." JARVIS said to Tony.

"Who is it?"

JARVIS ran a scan of the unknown female and reported back to Tony.

"Elani Nurisdaughter for you Sir."

Tony sighed; he hadn't seen much of his team since D.C. He had been too busy recovering and working on his secret project. Although the others had told him much of what had happened, he wasn't too excited at the prospect of seeing her up close.

"Let her in."

The door buzzed and Elani took the elevator up to the top floor. It was already programmed for the penthouse when she stepped in. The elevator doors opened and she stepped out into the main room. It was beautiful really; no doubt the work of his girlfriend. It was too put together for it to have been the work of Tony.

"Tony, JARVIS said someone was here for you?"

Pepper came bustling out of the kitchen, holding a plate of orange chicken.

"It's Elani." Tony sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, unaware that she was already in the room.

Elani cleared her throat and they both turned to look at her. Tony jumped in surprise but quickly had his calm demeanor back in place. Elani however, was more interested in Pepper. She had dropped her plate, chicken all over the floor.

Tony ran over to clean it up but Pepper stayed still. Tony whispered something to her and she shook her head, finally looking away.

"I'm sorry." Elani spoke up. "I didn't mean to intrude; I just wanted to speak with Tony."

"No that's fine." Pepper said. "I…I'm sorry for staring. It's just; your outfit is a little ridiculous."

Elani looked down at herself. She was wearing a neon blue skirt, a giant red sweater and motorcycle boots. She smiled a little.

"I was in a hurry to leave."

"I'll leave you two alone so you can talk."

"It's no problem I won't be long. I just…"

She sighed and turned to Tony.

"I think it would be smart to build armor that could withstand Mjolnir."

"Mjolnir…Thor's hammer?" Pepper asked.

"If they could take over Thor once they could do it again. You should protect yourself Tony. I just think it's worth looking into for your Iron Man. Out of all of us, you need to make sure you're protected."

She looked over at Pepper as she spoke.

"Is that…what happened to you?" Pepper asked.

Elani involuntarily touched her face.

"Yes. The Chitauri wanted Thor distracted so they could kidnap Loki. They took control of him somehow and…Mjolnir smashed into me."

"I'll look into it; it's not a bad idea really. JARVIS, start running scans of metals that could hold up to Thor's hammer."

"Already begun Sir."

"Thanks Elani, for the advice." Tony said, walking away.

"I thought that you were the one who needed it most, having a child on the way."

Thank you, for thinking of him." Pepper said.

"I just thought he should try it." Elani sighed.

Pepper took another good look at Elani. The whole left side of her face was covered in thick scars that marred her features. They were raised a few inches off her face and extended up into her hairline. She looked indescribably sad.

"Are you OK?" Pepper asked gently.

"No."

"Tony told me what happened; that they took your fiancé."

"Yes they did. But we're going to get him back. He won't stay with them."

There was so much determination in her voice Pepper couldn't help but to smile.

"I was going to run some errands today; would you like to come with me?"

"I shouldn't…I have to go home and eat lunch and…"

"I haven't really eaten either." Pepper reminded her. "Come on, retail therapy is good for everyone."

Pepper grabbed her coat and purse and dragged Elani out the door.

~O~

"Steve, can I come in?" Maria knocked on Steve's bedroom door. He opened the door and quickly ushered her inside.

"I thought you didn't want to meet during the day."

"I don't, but this can't wait." She responded.

Steve looked at her funny but motioned for her to sit on the bed. He sat down next to her waiting for her to begin. Instead she leaned over and kissed him. She cupped his face and her warm lips danced over his skin before she pulled away.

"Maria?"

She was staring at his wall; she really wasn't sure where to begin. He reached over and put a hand on her knee. She looked down and smiled at him.

"Steve." She took a deep breath. "I don't want to break up."

"What?" She held a hand up, asking for his silence. He nodded his head and she continued.

"I like you, a lot. And I don't want to end things with you. I want you to understand that. I just think we should take a break while we figure out what to do about the Chitauri."

"You mean you don't want to see me while all of this is going on?"

"It's just a break Steve. I can't handle sneaking around and trying to see you while trying to do my job."

"I understand."

"You do?"

"I do; I'm not happy about it, by any means, but I'll do it for you. If its what you need."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you Steve. And I promise, when all of this is over, I'll make it up to you. We'll go to the WWII museum like you've wanted to."

"OK."

He gave her hand a little squeeze before she stood up and walked out of his room. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Maria Hill was quite a handful. A sweet, delicious handful. He would just have to get to work to correct the Chitauri situation.

~O~

"You called Banner?"

Fury walked into the doctor's laboratory.

"Yes. Here, look at this."

Bruce showed Fury a scan of the inner workings of a Chitauri weapon.

"I don't understand Dr. Banner."

"It's a new element; something they discovered and have been able to harness to create these….these energy beams they shoot from their spears. I've been working on calculations for finding it ourselves."

"And?"

"And I believe we're close."

"Good work Dr. Banner. Keep working."

"Sir…just so you know, I don't like this."

"I know you don't Dr., but it's necessary."

Bruce sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"I know it is."

Fury left the lab; he would get Dr. Selvig to begin work with Dr. Banner as soon as possible. Maybe with two great minds working they'd find it even faster. Bruce sat down and went back to his calculations, meticulously roving over the scans of Chitauri weapons and armor. No, he didn't like it all, but he'd do anything to protect his friends.

~O~

"Heimdall, I need you to open the BiFrost!"

Thor had left New York early in the morning and was now in New Mexico, standing at the BiFrost site. It was time he tell his Father everything and see what kind of assistance Asgard could give in finding Loki. Thor would have to begin with the war on Asgard with the Jotuns; when he found out that Elani and Loki had been romantically involved. Odin knew nothing of any of this, nor what had happened on Midgard with the Chitauri.

Heimdall heard him and the rainbow vortex shot down and carried Thor up to Asgard. He hadn't told anyone he'd been leaving, but he knew they would appreciate Asgardian assistance.

"Thor, it is good to see you."

"As it is you Heimdall; I have no time for pleasantries however. I must speak with my Father."

Heimdall inclined his head and went back to watching the BiFrost, seeing everything. Thor flew off to the throne room, planning what he would say.


	4. An Aside

Loki's Interrogation

Loki's head hung limp against his chest; his arms ached from the strain of holding up his body. He was chained and the chain was hung from a hook in the ceiling. He had been like this for days and he was exhausted. His lips were chapped and cracked. His tongue was dry from a lack of water. His stomach grumbled from a lack of food. He had a black eye, probably cracked ribs and he was bleeding from too many places to count. The guards had laughed that his torture hadn't even begun yet.

Loki had refused to give up any information regarding Asgard or the Tesseract. That was what they wanted to know; where it was, how many forces did Asgard command? They wanted a sure win in a war against Asgard for the Tesseract. He told them he would rather die than give them such valuable information. So they had beaten him again.

He groaned and rolled his head back. He was so sore. He hurt so much. Some days he wished they would just kill him. But he knew The Other would not be so kind. He didn't even know how long he had been in captivity. He knew it had been more than a month.

"Silver Tongue, are you ready?"

The deep guttural voice of The Other spoke with such a harsh tone. Loki hadn't even heard the door open. He rolled his head back down so he could see him.

"Since you have refused to cooperate with our…friendlier…methods, we have designed something new for you." The smile that showed off all his ragged teeth told Loki he had been easy on him before.

A Chitauri guard moved around Loki and took him down from the ceiling hook. He collapsed in a heap on the floor, not having the strength to move. He watched as The Other laughed and then commanded the Chitauri to carry him away.

Loki felt their rough hands on him and wanted to tell them to let go but he couldn't. He could only watch as they took him to the first of his tortures.


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Fury, we must talk." Thor strode into his office without even knocking.

"Thor, what do you want?"

"I have just returned from Asgard after consulting with Odin."

"And?"

"Call the others here. There is something we must discuss."

~O~

"Ma'am, would you like some breakfast?"

"Hmm?"

Elani was slowly waking up. After Pepper insisted they go shopping together she had also insisted she spend the night. Pepper had put Elani in a guest room and said good night.

"Ma'am, we didn't have time to get acquainted last night. I am JARVIS, an AI."

"AI?"

"Artificial Intelligence. I am a computer system that runs everything in Mr. Starks home, office, cars, Iron Man suit, etc."

"That's very interesting." Elani yawned and sat up. Pepper had let her borrow some of her old pajamas now that she was wearing maternity clothes.

"Would you like some breakfast? I am preparing some now for Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts."

"That would be lovely, thank you."

Elani got out of bed, rubbed her eyes, and walked into the kitchen. Tony and Pepper were already sitting at the table. Tony was drinking coffee and Pepper was reading the newspaper.

"Oh, you're awake!"

Pepper smiled at her over the newspaper. Elani sat down next to her and waited patiently for breakfast to be cooked. After they were all finished eating she stood up from the table.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality, but I really must be going."

"Of course; all your bags were taken to your apartment for you." Pepper stood up and hugged her goodbye.

Elani changed back into her mismatched clothes and headed home. She sighed and sank back down into her familiar couch. She hadn't been home in three months. She checked the mail and set them on the table; she'd have to pay all their bills and apologize to the landlord. She had already called the dance studio she worked at to take a leave of absence. She had told them her fiancé was very sick.

She hitched in a breath as she thought of Loki. Oh, whatever was he going through right now? Her eyes wandered around the living room and landed on their wall of pictures. She smiled; after they had come to Midgard, Loki had become quite engrossed in photography. He had insisted on documenting everything. She hadn't minded in the slightest.

There were pictures of them on dates, or at the beach. There was some of her sleeping or getting ready to go somewhere. Loki had loved surprising her and taking photos when she didn't know he was there.

Her favorite picture was of the two of them in bed, her sleeping cradled in his arms. He was looking down at her with such an expression of love…he had always had a camera on him so it didn't surprise her when he brought home a new packet of photos and this one was in it.

His favorite was one she hadn't known he had taken. She was in a pencil skirt, heels, and a bra standing in their bathroom applying eyeliner. She had balked when she had come home to see it hanging in their living room but he had explained that she was 'natural'. She wasn't posing or trying to look a certain way. He had caught her doing something human. After that he started taking a lot of 'natural' photos.

She put a hand over her mouth to stifle the cries escaping her throat. She missed him so much and she couldn't go get him. She had no idea where he was or what was happening to him. All she wanted was to get him back and wrap him in her arms. She never wanted to let him go ever again.

Her phone rang and she checked the caller I.D. It was Fury. She calmed her breathing and answered the phone. Fury wanted everyone to come in for a meeting; and he wanted her in gear. She sighed but said she would be there.

She looked into her closet and pulled out the new gear S.H.I.E.L.D. had designed for her. Her last outfit had been torn to shreds in D.C. She slipped on the smooth material and ran out of the apartment.

~O~

Steve had decided he needed to get away from HQ so he had come back to the shop to work on a motorcycle. It was an old one and it had been hard to find the parts for it. He was almost finished putting it back together. He finished one last thing and turned the ignition, revving the bike. He smiled as he heard the gentle purr that meant it was fixed just fine.

He turned the bike off and walked over to the sink to wash the grease from his hands. He was drying them off when his phone rang. It was Maria.

"Hello?"

"We need you to come in; it's important."

"I'll be there."

He hung up the phone and walked over to his own bike. He started it and drove off towards HQ.

~O~

Bruce was working diligently on his new formula, downing his third cup of coffee in forty minutes.

"Dr. Banner." Fury's voice came on the intercom in his laboratory.

"Yes?"

"Conference room, two minutes." Fury's voice winked out and Bruce sighed. He thought he was close to a breakthrough; he wandered what Fury wanted as he stood up and walked down the hall.

~O~

A nurse walked into Natasha's room. Clint was holding her up, helping her walk an incline. She was struggling to get back into the groove of things but Clint was being extremely patient and kind. The nurse cleared her throat.

"Director Fury would like to see you in the conference room."

"Would you like to walk there yourself?" Clint asked Natasha.

"It's Fury; knowing him he wants us there now. I'm not strong enough yet." She finished with a whisper.

Clint knew she was ashamed that she was recovering so slowly. It would take her body time to readjust after being in a coma for three months. He thought she was doing quite well actually.

He swung her up into his arms and carried her down the hall.

~O~

"Stark! I know you can hear me!"

Fury had tapped into JARVIS and was currently projecting his voice through the whole of Stark Tower.

"I'm so sorry Fury! I don't know where he is." Pepper was highly annoyed at Tony's disappearance.

"Where who is?" Tony asked, appearing out of nowhere.

"Fury wants you." Pepper said, crossing her arms.

Tony groaned.

"Not funny Stark. S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ conference room. I'll expect you in five minutes."

"I'm sorry Sir, I was overridden."

"Yeah I know."

"Get to work sweetie." Pepper kissed his cheek and pushed him out the door.

~O~

"What are we all doing here Fury?" Tony asked, sitting down angrily. He had been working on his secret project when he was called in.

"Actually, Thor has the floor this time." Fury waved Thor forward to stand in front of the group.

"I have just returned from a short trip to Asgard. I have filled him in on everything that happened since our war with Jotunheim. Odin knows everything now." Thor sighed.

"He truly wants to help but right now Asgard cannot afford a war with the Chitauri. We are too vulnerable after our war with the Jotuns to truly attack them. It is also of concern to him that we don't know who their leader is yet. However, if we went to get Loki they would send a small number of soldiers to accompany us to retrieve him."

Thor gestured with his arms that the floor was open for conversation. The room exploded in yells of what to do, what they shouldn't do and how ridiculous Thor and Fury were being, thinking they would go and rescue Loki. Thor entered the fray of voices, yelling that they must be crazy; of course they would rescue Loki, he was a member of the team now! Elani sat back in her chair. How could all of these people not want to rescue her fiancé? Someone who had worked with them on missions and fought with them in D.C.

"What is wrong with you people?" She screamed, loud enough that everyone immediately stopped speaking. Every eye was on her.


	6. A Second Aside

An Aside

"Stick him in there." The Other ordered, growling.

The Chitauri holding Loki threw him in the coffin. They chained his hands to his sides and watched as he squirmed, enjoying his discomfort. Loki still hadn't found his voice and so couldn't speak. He could only writhe in discomfort as they forced him to be still. The Other leaned down so he could whisper in Loki's ear.

"How does being buried alive sound hmm? Tell me, can the great God of Mischief survive being buried six feet under the ground?"

Loki started pulling at his chains and trying to escape; he knew it was futile but he had to do something. The Other laughed as he stood up and slammed the coffin lid shut. Loki was bathed in darkness.

He felt the coffin being lifted up and moved. He screamed when they dropped it and it fell. It hit the ground with a hard thud. Some of the wood underneath him broke and he could feel the cold dirt on his back. He yelled in pain when some of the wood that had broken shot up and stabbed him through the side. He could feel the slow trickle of blood as it flowed. He had no idea how long he would be down here and now he was once again injured.

He screamed out in pain, frustration, anger. He could hear the thumps of dirt as they hit the top of his prison. He was truly being buried alive. Tears started streaming down his cheeks. He didn't care that he was crying; no one could see him, he was most likely going to die.

He screamed again, angry at the Chitauri for taking him. He was angry at himself even, for not winning the war in the first place. If he had the Chitauri would have the Tesseract and he would be ruler of Midgard. But no…he couldn't hate his loss; it had led him to Elani. Oh sweet Elani; what was she doing now, at this moment? He thought of her as the clumps of dirt rained down on him and eventually ceased. He had been buried alive. Who knew how long he would be down here until The Other invented another torture for him?

He closed his eyes, exhausted. His other injuries were sore and his new one was still flowing. He could die down here. Thoughts of his family danced through his head as he passed out.


	7. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Why wouldn't we go get him? He's a team member. He's my fiancé." Elani spoke up to the people gathered around the table.

"We don't even know where he is." Tony said.

"Heimdall is working on finding Loki right now." Thor interjected.

"Oh good Heimdall." Elani breathed.

"I don't have any problems with rescuing him." Clint said. "He saved me and Stark."

"He fought with us in D.C." Natasha reminded everyone.

Steve looked over at Elani. She was watching everyone at the table very closely.

"We should get him back for his family." Steve said. "He's done better with all of us, helped us all, and been a good teammate. But he has a fiancé who misses him and we don't know what's happening to him."

Elani smiled and reached over to squeeze his hand.

"So it is decided then. We will rescue Loki." Thor's voice boomed out. A huge smile was plastered on his face.

"We'll have to wait for the intel from Asg—" Fury's voice was cut off by a giant boom that rocked the building.

"What was that?" Maria yelled, already running to check the monitors.

"An earthquake?" Steve asked from the floor.

"No." Maria's voice quivered for a moment but she quickly got herself under control. "Somebody set off a bomb in Stark Tower. It's collapsing."

"What?" Tony yelled, already up and running.

He raced out onto the street and pushed people out of his way. The building was indeed coming down. It was a fiery explosive mess. Police were trying to get people out of the way and evacuated before it came down.

"Pepper! Pepper!" He yelled as he got closer.

"Tony?"

"Pepper!"

He found her in the roped off crowd and ran to her. He drew her into his arms and hugged her tightly to him.

"Oh god Pepper I thought…"

"I know; I thought you were in the building too."

He buried his face in her hair, glad she was OK. Glad they were both OK. Screams went up all around them as the building started falling. Tony picked Pepper up and got her out of the way. The building collapsed in on itself and fell to the ground, a fiery mess of rubble.

"Oh Tony…"

"I'm just glad you're OK Pepper. I don't care about the building."

He wrapped her in his arms again, wanting to make sure she really was there, and that she really was safe.

"Let's get you to a hospital OK, just to be sure?"

"OK."

Tony moved through the crowds, pushing people out of his way until they got back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

"She needs a doctor please!"

An agent noticed them and promised to escort her to the medical wing where she would be placed under the best care. Tony stalked off to find Fury.

"What the hell was that?" Tony yelled, bursting back into the conference room.

"That, was this." Fury pointed to the screen.

"Hello. I am The Other." He smiled, showing his razor sharp teeth. "By now your building is destroyed Mr. Stark. More will come if you don't give us the Tesseract. We will get it one way or another; your cooperation however, would be most beneficial to you." He cleared his throat. "If we do not get the Tesseract more will follow. Next time we will not be so kind."

The video ended.

"Then Loki hasn't told them anything." Thor said. "If they require the Tesseract from us, he hasn't told them anything."

"Yes." Fury said.

"What do they mean 'we won't be so kind'?" "How was that kind?" Tony yelled.

"They didn't kill Pepper." Thor answered.

Tony paled.

"We have to retrieve Loki and try to put an end to them." Elani said. "They cannot be allowed to stay alive."

"He in particular, must die." Thor agreed.

"Thor, tell Odin we'll go get Loki; and that we would appreciate any assistance he could give." Fury ordered.

~O~

Steve was walking around HQ when he happened upon Fury and Maria. He quickly hid and listened in on their conversation. He knew it was wrong but he wanted to know what they were talking about.

"Hill figure out how many men to take to get Loki."

"Sir?"

"Hill?"

"You agreed pretty quickly to go retrieve him."

"He hasn't given away any S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets yet; that could change, and we should act before he does. If he's too weak to be safely rescued, I want him killed. I don't care what anyone says, he's getting rescued or he's staying there, as a corpse."

"Sir…"

"That's an order Agent Hill, so give it. But only to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents going on this mission. And don't you dare tell the Avengers."

Steve hurried away to go find Elani. He knocked furiously on her bedroom door until she opened it.

"Steve?"

She opened the door wider and let him in. He quickly told her what he had heard Fury say. She narrowed her eyes.

"Well then, we'll just have to get him without S.H.I.E.L.D."


	8. A Third Aside

An Aside

"How are we feeling?" The Other stood over Loki, smiling down at him.

They had pulled him from his box hours ago and had spent the time healing him. He had finally woken up.

Loki looked around, distrusting him immediately. He recognized, in the corner of the room, a healer of Vanaheim. What was he doing here?

"Are you ready now Loki?" The Other asked.

Loki didn't understand why they would take the time to heal him, feed him intravenously, and provide water for him to drink. None of it added up to the torture element he had come to expect from this crazed man.

He didn't have time to answer before fire was burning its way up his leg. He looked down to see he was chained, spread-eagle, to a table. All he had on was his underwear. A man stood over him, wielding a sharp knife. A knife that had just cut its way down his left leg. The cutting continued for a half-hour before the boy from Vanaheim was called over to heal him.

And after that the butcher began cutting his arms. And the boy healed him. The Butcher cut his face. And the boy healed him. It went on for so long that Loki lost count of the time; he lost count of how many times the boy fainted from exhaustion. How many times the Butcher smiled in delight. How many times he himself screamed out in agony. How many times he heard The Other's cackling laughter as he drunk it all in.

Loki finally passed out only for it to begin again when he woke up, freshly healed. So many times over and over again that he felt he would go insane if they didn't stop. He screamed at the top of his lungs, begging for someone to just please end it already, wouldn't somebody please just kill him?

"No." The Other stood over him, smiling again. "No we won't kill you; we won't end it. You deserve this pain Loki. It can all be over. Just tell us what we want to know. Tell us of Asgard and the Tesseract."

"No." Loki's breath was ragged, hitched, sore from disuse and the cuts running deep on his neck.

The Other scowled and called the healer over. And so it began again.


	9. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Steve and Elani had called an underground meeting of the Avengers. S.H.I.E.L.D. thought they were in their rooms sleeping. They were really in a room in the basement that they had checked beforehand for bugs. Assured that no one could hear them Steve told them what Fury had said and that they'd have to rescue Loki themselves.

Thor became outraged.

"How dare Fury say these things about my brother!"

"Thor, we're not going to let that happen; we're going to get him ourselves. And we will bring him back, alive." Steve calmed the God down enough to continue.

"We'll have to Asgard and take Odin's troops with us and get him ourselves. We can't rely on them anymore. We'll have to leave right away. Who's with us?" Elani asked.

"Of course I am." Thor said, standing up. Bruce and Clint stood up as well.

"Of course we'll help you get him guys." Clint said.

Elani and Thor smiled, glad that their friends were there for them. Clint knelt down in front of Natasha, giving her a little half-smile.

"You're staying here."

"I want to help Clint."

"I know Tasha, but you're not better right now. I need you to stay here with the doctors and get stronger."

"Don't baby me Clint. You can just say I'm a liability."

"Never."

He kissed her forehead and squeezed her hands.

"I just want you to be safe Tasha."

"You're leaving for another planet to go rescue a God from an alien species, and that's all I get?"

She grasped his face in her hands and brought his lips to her own. If there was a possibility, slight as it was, that he might not come back…she was going to make sure she remembered every detail of him.

"I would go guys, but I need to stay here with Pepper."

"I understand Stark." Thor clapped him on the back.

"Besides, someone should be here in case they try something here again."

"That's a good idea Stark." Steve said.

"In case we never see each other again, you've all been great friends." Elani said.

"Oh Elani, come home safe." Natasha stood up and hugged her friend.

All the Avengers stood around and hugged each other, crying. No one wanted to say they might not come home.

"We have to leave." Steve said.

"Before you go, I made these for everyone."

Tony reached into a duffle bag and pulled out what looked like sunglasses.

"These will allow all of you to see the Chitauri.

He passed them around and everyone took a pair except Thor and Elani, who could already see them.

"Thank you Tony."

Elani hugged him.

"I've started research on what we talked about." He whispered in her ear.

"And?"

"It's promising."

She smiled and backed away from him.

"Now we have to go." Steve said. "Thanks Stark."

"Everyone, come on. Thor, where's the nearest BiFrost site?"

~O~

"Heimdall, it's so good to see you!" Elani rushed forward and hugged the guardian while Bruce and Clint recovered from the trip.

Thor smiled at the Midgardians.

"Let's go, I'll show you to the guest rooms."

The three followed Thor through the palace.

"Elani, you can stay in Loki's room."

Elani kissed Thor's cheek and disappeared into the room.

"Follow me; you'll have to share a room but I promise it won't be a problem for either of you. Here, Elani's old room."

Thor ushered them inside.

"We'll start fresh in the morning, after we've all gotten some rest. I'll go confer with Odin. You'll find sleep-clothes in the armoire over there. Rest well my friends."

Thor left, leaving them alone.

"Can you believe we're on Asgard?" Clint asked.

"It's hard to believe." Bruce answered, looking around the room.

Bruce opened the armoire looking for pajamas but only found women's clothes.

"He did say this had been Elani's room…"

"Guess we're sleeping in this." Clint shrugged his shoulders and jumped into a bed, quickly falling asleep.

Bruce sighed and rolled into the other bed. He found he was more tired than he had felt and also fell asleep fast.

~O~

Elani curled up in Loki's bed. She had found an old pair of his sleep-clothes and wore them now. This whole room smelled like him, and her heart ached for what she missed.

"We're coming for you Loki. Please, please be alive."

~O~

"Father! I have brought warriors with me to retrieve Loki."

"Good, my Son. In the morning we will meet and plan his return. Get plenty of rest; you will need it."

Thor walked back to his rooms and changed into his softer sleeping-clothes. He tossed and turned for a while before throwing back the covers. He rubbed his tired eyes and sighed. Grabbing his blanket he walked down the hall and knocked on Loki's door.

A sleepy Elani opened the door.

"Thor?"

"I couldn't sleep. Might I sleep on your floor?"

"I won't make you sleep on the floor; the bed is plenty big enough. Come in."

"Thank you."

There was no awkwardness between the two as they settled down and tucked themselves under blankets to go to sleep. They were like brother and sister now, and good friends.

"Good night Thor." Elani said yawning.

"Good night sister."


	10. A Fourth Aside

An Aside

Loki felt himself being carried away by slimy arms. His head rolled over and his fingers trailed against the floor.

"Don't worry, we'll be there soon." He heard The Other's slimy voice ahead of him.

Loki was so out of everything he could barely see. There was a black cloud around his vision and he felt so weak…

"I think you will like this one very much."

Loki was laid down on something cold; metal pushed against his skin. His hands were tied above his head and something was hooked up to him and the metal frame he was laying on. It was all he could do not to pass out right there.

"Don't worry, we'll start it off low."

And then pain was shooting its way up his body. Pain like when Thor accidentally struck him with Mjolnir's lightning as a child. He felt like he couldn't breathe, like heat was working its way through him, more powerful than the last torture. And then it went away; he sank back down into the metal and breathed deeply, trying to gulp in cool air.

"We just sent an electric current through your body. A rather weak one, but don't worry. They'll get stronger."

Loki didn't have to see the awful smile that took over The Other's features. He could imagine it. A stronger pain worked its way through his body; he arched his back, trying to get away from it, but it was no good. It was inside him. He struggled against his bonds, trying to claw it out of him. He screamed at the top of his lungs asking, please, couldn't they understand? He had to get the pain out!

And then it was gone. He sank down again, breathing hard. The Other was laughing, cackling with glee. Loki just tried to get in as many cooling breaths as he could, trying to calm the heat inside of him. And then it started again, so much worse than before.


	11. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Everyone sat around in the kitchen eating breakfast and planning strategy. They now knew Loki was being held on a small waste planet in the outer realms; they were attacking later that day. Odin had ordered ten troops to accompany them.

"Everyone go back to your room and suit up." Steve said.

Elani walked into her room and started taking her top off.

"Whoa there!"

Elani jumped and looked over in the corner; Fandral was sitting down holding a package.

"Here." He handed it to her. "Good luck getting Loki back."

"Thanks."

He walked out of the room; she closed and locked the door as a safe measure. She set the package down and opened it; she gasped. Inside was fine Asgardian leather armor. It was a dark forest green color and, oh! They had made fine hunting boots as well. She could have cried; they would be much better protected than they had previously thought. She quickly slipped the armor on before tying her hair back and equipping the throwing knives from Loki's safe. She ran from her room, taking a small empty pack to the kitchen.

~O~

"Thor!"

Thor turned at the sight of his name. Sif came running down the hallway towards him.

"Sif!"

He picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"Thor, be careful."

He put her down and started to fuss over her.

"How are you feeling? I wasn't aware you were awake."

"I've only been up for two days."

"Have you met our guests?"

"I dropped off some armor at Captain Roger's door."

"Armor?"

"Odin wanted everyone properly outfitted for the journey."

Thor took her hands in his.

"Thank you Sif. I—I'm glad you're safe."

Sif smiled.

"While I lay dying on Jotunheim, my one regret—"

"What? You can tell me anything." Thor smiled at her, giving her encouragement.

"My one regret was never telling you how I felt." She looked up at him through her eyelashes.

Thor was shocked.

"I-I, I hav—"

She dropped his hands.

"It's OK Thor; I just needed you to know." She whispered. "I should go get some rest."

She turned to walk back to her rooms.

"We will talk Sif; about Jotunheim, about everything upon my return."

She didn't turn. Thor shook his head and walked off in the opposite direction. Only then did Sif turn to watch him walk away, a sad expression on her face.

~O~

Knock, knock. Clint and Bruce looked at each other. Steve had left ten minutes ago with a strange package addressed to him. They opened the door expecting it to be him. Instead it was a larger, bearded Asgardian.

"Hello Midgardians! I am Volstagg, one of the Warriors Three, and a friend of Thor!"

"Hello, I am Hawkeye, and this is Hulk." Clint said, introducing them by their alternate names.

"These are for you, requested by Odin."

"What is it?" Clint took the two packages handed to him by Volstagg; one of them was significantly heavier than the other.

"Armor for you." He looked somber then. "And good luck friends."

He bowed before turning and walking away.

"Here." Clint handed Bruce the heavier of the armors.

Clint unboxed his and put it on. It was black, the way he liked it. It was incredibly light but well-made. He was glad to have it. Bruce opened his. It was green…Hulk green. He shrugged but put it on. There was a note at the bottom of the box.

"We were told of your…predicament. This armor should stretch and expand with you so you can wear it in both forms."

The paper wasn't signed but Bruce was suddenly excited about the possibility of having armor in battle. They were ready to go. They turned as another knock sounded on the door. It was Steve, standing with dark blue armor and his shield.

"Ready?" Steve asked.

"Yes." They said in unison.

~O~

"We're all here?" Thor did another head count, just to make sure they had everyone.

"Wait!" Frigga called, running down the BiFrost. Odin and the Warriors Three were right behind her.

"You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye were you?" Frigga hugged Thor and whispered in his ear before disentangling herself. Odin walked over to Thor and shook his hand.

Frigga approached Elani and hugged her fiercely.

"Congratulations on your engagement, future-daughter." Frigga pulled back to see Elani's face.

"Bring my son back safe." A tear escaped her eye before she stopped herself from crying.

"I will bring him back home." Elani said intensely.

Odin touched Frigga on the shoulder.

"We should let them go." Frigga nodded her head.

As Sif walked by Elani put a hand on her arm.

"Good luck." Sif blushed but nodded her head.

Everyone took a deep breath.

"Heimdall open the BiFrost." Thor spoke with anticipation; he couldn't wait to bash in the skulls responsible for taking his brother.

The familiar cool lull of the BiFrost took over and when it was over they landed on a desolate black planet.


	12. The Final Aside

An Aside

Loki felt the cold wind biting at his exposed skin. He shivered; why was he outside now? Hadn't they done enough to him? No; he still wouldn't give up his secrets. He feared this would go on forever.

"Good you're awake." He turned to give orders. "Set him up and then leave."

Loki didn't make a sound as he was bound to a giant rock and gagged.

"Just you and I Loki. I will give you one more chance; where is the Tesseract?"

Loki shook his head; he would not tell him anything, even if this was the worst thing he had ever experienced. The Other sighed.

"Very well. But know that this is it. We are not coming back for you; you will die out here."

He turned and walked away. Loki could handle the elements; freezing to death or starving…it seemed better than his tortures. He fidgeted after feeling something on his toes. He didn't think about it for a few minutes until he felt again, higher up on his ankle.

It was a burning, an awful burning like nothing he had felt before. Worse than the electric shocks even. It felt like the skin was being melted off his bones. It went away only to come back again, higher on his leg. He screamed through the gag at the sheer awful pain of it.

He heard The Other laughing from somewhere near him.

"Acid Loki. You will die by Acid."

The Other chuckled before walking away. This time he did not stop; he entered the building and locked the door. Loki's screams couldn't be heard but he could imagine them.


	13. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They had landed behind a cover of large rocks; they had a view of an opulent building standing only a few yards away. So far, no one had noticed their arrival.

"Glasses on everyone." Steve ordered.

Bruce, Clint and Steve silently put them. Steve was about to tell them everyone should wait until they'd seen some activity when a long painful scream sounded.

Thor and Elani jumped the rocks in unison, running towards the building. Steve cursed but ran after them. Clint set up his arrows and took aim for anything that crossed his back.

"I'll hang back with you, wait until they need me." Bruce said, hiding behind the rocks.

"Good idea." Hawkeye whispered, never taking his eyes off the landscape.

~O~

Thor was the first one to burst through the door; the halls were surprisingly empty. Elani came in right behind him. Steve wasn't too far behind.

"We split up." Elani said.

"Bad idea." Steve spoke up. "We don't know the layout, we'll just get lost."

She looked like she might argue but eventually conceded. Thor led the way and they started exploring the building. Five minutes in and they still hadn't come across any Chitauri.

Steve opened up a door to check inside and found a roomful of Chitauri. He quickly boomeranged his shield around, decapitating a few of them. One of the Chitauri pulled an alarm just before Thor's hammer cracked into his skull. Soon Chitauri were pouring into the halls.

Everywhere they turned there were Chitauri to fight. As soon as they downed one, three more appeared to take his place. Elani threw a knife and embedded it in his throat, saving Thor from what would have been a nasty blow. Steve flipped over her and sliced in half a Chitauri she hadn't seen.

"Thanks." She called.

Thor smashed his hammer repeatedly into the creatures; a pile of bodies had formed around him.

"Drive them outside!" Steve yelled.

Elani complied by lighting up her whole body and making the Chitauri run away.

"Why didn't you do that before?" Steve asked, his breathing labored.

"Because they must all die." She said through gritted teeth.

She turned the light off once most of them were outside. She stayed inside and fought the Chitauri in the halls. Thor and Captain America had more room to maneuver so they didn't get hurt as much fighting outside. Arrows whistled by taking out Chitauri all around them.

_Thank God for Clint Barton, _Captain America thought. Without him there would've been too many. Odin's troops had gone around the back when they had run into the building; three of them ran around to the front now and joined in the fray. Another strangled scream was heard of the din.

"I go to search for Loki!" Thor yelled, sending a Chitauri crashing.

"OK, go!" Steve yelled right back.

There was a huge roar as the Hulk came barreling over the rocks, joining the fight. Chitauri scrambled to get out of his way but he crushed them all. Some of them turned their beams on him but he was armored now; protected. He grinned before grabbing them and throwing them.

Elani yelled from inside the building; Steve quickly dispatched his enemy. His arm was grazed with a beam as he ran inside the building. Elani was fighting several Chitauri by herself, and there was a deep gash in her thigh.

Steve flipped in front of her and blocked a beam with his shield. He threw it and in the small space it took out all the Chitauri.

"Did you find Loki?"

"Thor went to find him."

"Good."

Elani's hand suddenly turned black and a black tendril shot forth from her hand; she yanked it, breaking a Chitauri's neck.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

~O~

"Brother!"

Thor killed the only remaining Chitauri he could see. His brother lay bound and gagged on a rock and his flesh…Thor shuddered at the sight. Thor brought Mjolnir down on the chains that bound Loki's hands and feet to the rock. He felt a drip of acid on his shoulder and growled.

He quickly took his brother in his arms and carried him away from the awful torture. His brother whimpered and cried out in pain, mercifully passing out moments later. The healers in Asgard would have a time making him better. He whipped Mjolnir around lightning fast and flew back to the others.

~O~

The Chitauri's numbers had greatly dwindled. The Other growled in frustration. He quickly evaded Captain America's blow. He scratched three angry lines down his chest before running.

"We'll be back for the Tesseract!" He growled before winking out of existence.

The remaining Chitauri fell over and died. From behind the outcrop of rocks Hawkeye cheered. Steve smiled as well, and so did Bruce who had come out of his Hulk phase.

"Where is Thor? You said he went to find Loki!"

"Here, sister."

Thor landed lightly beside them.

"We must leave now; he needs a healer desperately."

"Heimdall, we need you to open the BiFrost!" Elani shouted.

She had taken one look at her fiancé and her heart had broken. The BiFrost opened and they stepped inside. Heimdall had medics already waiting for all of them. Steve, Bruce and Clint were quickly bandaged up and sent back to Midgard with only a quick goodbye. Both Thor and Elani were focused on Loki. His flesh had seemed to almost melt in patches off his body. He was heavily scarred, and areas of his body were burnt.

Thor set him down on a med-cart and he was rushed back to the Palace. Thor stood and let a medic take care of his shoulder and arm, which was only bruised. Elani however ran after Loki, wanting to be with him. Halfway down the Bridge she collapsed. Thor pushed the hands away and ran to her. She was lying in a pool of blood, from the injured leg she had been ignoring.

He gathered her up in his arms.

"I'll take you to the med-room to be stitched up but they'll need time alone with Loki now, to heal him."

"I don't want to leave him alone."

"Nor do I."

"Does he know? Does he know we got him?"

"He was passed out when I reached him. He might think he's still on that planet."

"He'll think they're torturing him."

"I'll make sure he knows he's safe."

Thor set her down in a bed where she quickly fell asleep. He went to check on his brother. Healers were already working on him; Loki jerked and twitched in his sleep.

"Brother, you are safe."

Loki opened his eyes for a fraction of a second. Thor smiled at him and tears glistened in his eyes. Loki's head sank back down into the pillow; Thor saw him visibly relax. He had heard him; he knew he was alright.

Thor turned away, sobs racking his body. His little brother was safe.

~O~

After a few days the palace had quieted down about the return of the prince. Loki was hooked up to so many different things Thor couldn't keep count. Every day his skin looked better, but did that mean he was getting better on the inside?

Elani never left his side. She slept on the floor beside his bed and refused to leave to eat or to bathe or change clothes. Attendants brought her meals and she ate them in silence. Some days Sif would sit with her and hold her hand.

Thor and Elani sat down together on the couch Odin had just had brought in for them. Elani leaned into Thor, snuggling into his shoulder to take a nap. Just as she closed her eyes Loki breathed in deeply. Thor and Elani were instantly by his side looking down at him. For the first time in two months, Loki opened his eyes.


	14. After-Credits

After-Credits

"You failed, miserably! We have no information!"

"Sir, we know it is on Asgard."

"That is all we have!" Thanos yelled at The Other.

"Lord, I've already started rebuilding our forces. In no time at all we should be able to attack Asgard and over-come their forces."

Thanos paused.

"You are certain of this?"

"Yes Master. In a few short months the Tesseract will be yours."

"And what if this is not done?"

"I swear my life on it Master."

Thanos smiled. Even if he didn't get the Tesseract, he would have an offering to court Lady Death.

"See to it you get it done Other."

"Yes Lord."

The Other bowed and walked away, already making plans for how to re-build their army in time.


End file.
